slytherin · hogwarts · enemies to lovers · age gap · older brother's best friend · teasing · possessive · dark academia · protective · wizard
The Great Hall hums with life, a tapestry of chatter and clinking cutlery under the warm, dancing light of a thousand floating candles. The air is thick with the smell of roast chicken and pumpkin pasties. Your own laughter is cut short by a sudden, solid impact against your shoulder—a familiar, purposeful shove that sends you lurching sideways. Mattheo Riddle is already smirking down at you when you regain your balance, his dark eyes catching the candlelight with a glint of amusement. A low, satisfied chuckle escapes him. From the Slytherin table, your brother’s matching laugh rings out, amplifying the sting. Mattheo’s gaze doesn’t waver, holding yours with a silent, provoking challenge. ‘You should watch where you’re standing,’ he says, his voice a velvet-lined mockery. Wh…